


One Night, One Mistake

by lexiatel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24011578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lexiatel/pseuds/lexiatel
Summary: Hermione goes to see her healer about having an abortion.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	One Night, One Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Mentions of miscarriages and stillborns also apply, can't get it to tag...

Hermione summoned up her Gryffindor courage and pulled the door to the tiny cafe open. She had asked Cormac to meet her here, as Hermione had some news to share with him.

He hadn't arrived yet, but that was nothing new for Cormac. He was always late. The wizard didn't seem to think being punctual was important.

What had she seen in him again? 

Right. Those beautiful sand-coloured eyes. They were enchanting. And the bloody bastard knew it too.

Hermione put a palm to her forehead, shaking her head at her carelessness. It was _one_ night. One bloody night. How could she have been so stupid?

She was angry with herself, angry with Cormac, and angry with the preventative potion that had failed to do its duty.

"Hi, Hermione," Cormac greeted when he finally showed up (fifteen minutes late). "I'm surprised you wanted to meet. Looking for another _special_ night with me? Didn't get enough of me the first time?" He flashed his pearly, perfect teeth at her, and if she wasn't so irritated with this mess that she had gotten herself into, she would have melted into a pile of goo. 

The sex had been _that_ good. It had been _great_! But that was the only thing decent about this man, because his personality was for the absolute pits!

"Actually, I have some news," Hermione started slowly, clearing her throat.

"Excuse me!" Cormac called out to the bus boy, ignoring Hermione.

"Yes, sir?"

Cormac lifted his glass. "There's a speck of…" He peered into the glass, taking a split-moment to identify whatever it was. "I don't know what it is that's in my glass, but I need a clean one."

"I apologise, sir."

"Maybe look into the glass before setting it down next time."

"Stop it," Hermione growled, clamping her jaw shut.

"What?" Cormac asked, completely oblivious with his behavior.

"You don't need to belittle him—"

"I'm not _belittling_ him, I'm telling him how he should be doing his job. It doesn't take a genius to know not to serve dirty beverages to your customers."

The bus boy had departed in the middle of this, and Hermione pressed her lips together. She wasn't up for this. Not today. The only reason she even wanted to meet Cormac was to tell him what they had done.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted, interrupting Cormac's detailed explanation of what the bus boy should be doing.

Cormac went silent for a few seconds, and ordinarily, Hermione might have laughed that he was capable of even processing a thought, but she wasn't in the mood.

"Congratulations?" he offered slowly, puzzled.

"It's yours."

Cormac snorted at the idea. "Uh, _no_. You see, I'm not an idiot—"

 _Yes, you are. And so am I._ Hermione's mind argued, but she allowed the man to talk.

"—I use very specific potions to keep things like this from happening."

"As do I—"

"Obviously _not_ ," Cormac stated bluntly.

"I do too!" Hermione hissed. "But it didn't work!"

Cormac leaned back into his chair. His eyes scanned Hermione, up and down, and a smirk came upon his face. "How many others did you sleep with? I didn't peg you as such a woman, Hermione."

"It was _just_ you!" she insisted.

Cormac's amusement disappeared. "It's not mine, Hermione," he denied, his tone changing into something nasty, and he stood up from the table. "Get that thought out of your head now."

"It is so yours!" Hermione also stood up, glaring at him. "I don't know how it happened, but this… this… _thing_ we've created is real, and I need to know what you'd like done about it!"

Cormac's eyes fell down to her stomach, eyeing it over in disgust. "Well, he started quietly. "If you really think it's mine— and I doubt that it is— my choice would be to have you terminate it."

Hermione stiffened, narrowing her eyes. "You didn't even give it a _thought_!"

"It's rather unfortunate, really. If you _do_ end up giving birth to that thing, you can say goodbye to that lucious figure of yours."

Hermione had heard enough. "Alright then!" she huffed, rummaging through a coin pouch to fish out some money to pay for the water that she had ordered. "If that's how you feel, I _will_!" She slammed down two snickles onto the surface of the table. "I'll terminate the fetus, and we'll never have to meet up again!"

Cormac shrugged. "Your loss. You'll never meet another man who can make you moan like I can."

"You know what," she snapped. "You're not even worth it!" She stalked out of the cafe then, too angry to even see the scowl that had appeared on his face from her insult.

*/*

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. I hear you seek an abortion?"

"Where's Ginny?!" Hermione demanded, glaring at the blond man who stood at the door, skimming over her chart. She had been waiting a while in the room at St. Mungos. Hermione wanted to see her healer, and this man was not it.

"Healer Potter has taken the week off. "I'm Healer Malfoy, filling in for her during her absence."

Hermione growled. This was not the time for Ginny to play hooky from work!

"I don't think you've thought about this at all," Healer Malfoy said, closing the door behind him.

"About what?"

The man raised a blond eyebrow. "The termination of your baby, of course."

"It's a _fetus_ , Healer Malfoy. It isn't a baby until it's actually breathing."

He gave her a slow nod. "Right, of course," he said slowly, shifting through the papers. "You have several options here, Miss Granger. I have noticed that you didn't fill in an answer for question 20— if you're worried about financing the fetus throughout the pregnancy, there are plenty of sponsors—"

"I want it gone," Hermione stated firmly. 

"You just found two days ago," he noted. "That's hardly enough—"

Hermione stood up and went to leave. "Excuse me if I seem rude, but I'd prefer to speak with my normal healer about this."

"Miss Granger?" He made to stop her.

" _What_?" she snarled.

"I understand that this choice is ultimately up to you, and I wouldn't want to take that right from you. All I ask is that you give it more than two days before making your final decision. You have several options to choose from. One of which could make a childless couple extremely happy. Please reconsider the abortion." And with that, he left the room.

He was right. She knew he was right. Hermione was acting the way she was because of the way Cormac had reacted to the news. He hadn't even considered it, and now neither was she.

"Draco is extremely anti-abortion," Ginny informed Hermione the next time she saw her. Apparently her son had come down with some illness and she had to tend to the toddler, explaining the reasoning of her absence from work. "His wife had, what was it, four miscarriages? Yeah, I think that's what Blaise said. And one baby was a stillborn—" Ginny shuddered here. "I give him credit, I'm not sure I could do the job if I had been in his position. It must be hard assisting with abortions after going through all that."

Hermione readjusted in her seat. The news that Ginny had just supplied made her slightly uncomfortable. "Has he tried adopting? He's quite wealthy— or is he that shallow, wanting a child from his own blood?"

"Oh he's tried," Ginny assured her. "His father is in Azkaban though. The man murdered a Muggle when Draco was really young. Not a lot of people want to offer him a baby with that kind of dirt on his name."

Hermione frowned. "But it wasn't Draco that did the murder…" 

Ginny shrugged. "That evidently doesn't matter. With that, and his single status, he has very little chance of someone giving him their baby."

"I thought you said his wife— oh gosh, Ginny, did she _die_ in childbirth?"

Ginny shook her head. "He let her go. Divorced her. Their marriage was arranged, and it was he who was damaged, so he broke the marriage off."

" _Arranged_?" Hermione nearly shuddered. "I thought that was… an old-fashioned thing!"

"Very few Purebloods still do it."

"I've decided," Hermione announced after a thoughtful silence. "I'll have the baby, and I'll adopt it out."

Ginny smiled. "That sounds lovely, but you know, there's no shame if you terminate it."

Hermione smiled. "I know," she said softly. "But a baby could make someone else happy, so why not."

"And what about your figure?" Ginny raised her eyebrows, speaking about what Cormac had last said to her. Hermione had earlier voiced how upsetting his words had been to her.

Hermione laughed, now in a better mood than she had been a week ago. "There's potions for that!"

"How are you feeling today, Hermione?" Ginny asked during a check-up months later. "Morning sickness mellowed out yet?"

"All except for the smell of tomatoes. The baby can't stand them. And it's been kicking me!" Hermione's face lit up. She explained to Ginny that she had been up half the night due to the baby wanting to jab a limb into her ribs.

"I think I'm bruised," she said jokingly.

"How are your finances?" Ginny asked, looking concerned. Hermione was currently out of work during this time. "Do you need any aid? We'll arrange it if you need it."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm managing. I've dropped my butter beer addiction, so that's saved me quite a few galleons."

Ginny nodded approvingly. "Sounds like everything is going along fine then."

"I'll have to go shopping for another set of trousers," Hermione informed regrettably, looping a thumb into the tight waistline of them. "This is the second pair this month!"

Ginny laughed. "I remember! I grew, what, five sizes with James! Maddening!"

"Miss Granger," Healer Malfoy greeted Hermione on her way out of St. Mungo's. He stopped with a smile, accessing her. "So you decided against the abortion, I'm relieved to see this."

"I'm going to adopt the baby out," Hermione explained. "My career at the moment just doesn't fit a child in the mix."

"May I pry?" he wondered curiously. "What do you do?"

"I'm an Arbitrator between the Muggle and Wizard worlds. I help make sure that everything remains civil between us."

"Sounds interesting," he said truthfully. 

"It's long hours though. Perhaps one day, I'll be ready for a family, but not right at the moment. This here," she tapped her belly, "was an unexpected accident."

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

"I've decided it's best to not know. I don't want to get attached more than I already have." She chuckled uneasily. She couldn't deny that the life that grew in her was starting to emotionally affect her. Hermione blamed that on the hormones though, not wanting to develop any feelings for the baby.

"Have you chosen the fortunate parents yet?"

"Actually, I have been thinking about that a lot lately, and I believe I may have decided. I'm not ready to say too much just yet though. I really need to interview the person first."

"That makes sense, it's an incredibly huge decision."

"Right."

"Well," he sighed, looking at the door of the building. "I ought to get to work. Good luck, Miss Granger."

"Thanks." She watched the healer enter the building, and after a thought, Hermione rushed in after him. "Healer Malfoy!"

He was at the reception desk to announce his check in, and he turned around to face her. "What can I do for you, Miss Granger?"

"I saw your name on the list," she started slowly. "And I was wondering, if you'd like, if you'd adopt my baby."

His face deadpanned briefly before his eyes narrowed slightly. "You can't be serious?" 

Hermione nodded. "I am."

Healer Malfoy tilted his head, perplexed by her offer. "Miss Granger, are you aware of my family's history? That I'm unmarried? That your baby will grow up without a mother?"

"Single parents are actually common these days, Healer Malfoy. And most are completely successful. I do not doubt that you'll be any different— do you care if it's a boy or a girl? Because I can get it tested—"

He held up a hand, and his lips stretched out in a smile. His eyes were moist, and he had a difficult time with speaking. "A healthy baby is is all that I wish for."

"When is your next day off work?"

"Tomorrow."

"Would you meet me to finalize the details then?"

Healer Malfoy nodded eagerly. "Certainly! Send me an owl, and I'll meet you anywhere!"

Dark, wide, chestnut eyes stared up at Hermione, and the woman's own eyes filled with tears. She had been warned that this would be the hardest thing that she would ever do in her life, and Hermione had thought that she'd been prepared for this, but she wasn't it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the baby. "I'm just not ready to be a mother, alright? But Draco, your father, he's ready, and he's been ready for several years. He'll love you just as if he was biologically connected to you." She then laughed, sniffing. "I don't think he knows that you have a lot of Gryffindor blood in you. He's Slytherin— _oh_ he'll teach you all about that. Your daddy is smart. Smarter than any man I know." She tearfully kissed the calm baby who made a small grunt.

"Okay!" she called out for the healers to come back in. She had requested five minutes of herself to the baby that she had carried in her womb for nine months.

She watched as Draco came in with his eyes glued to the child. "Come here," Hermione told the man. "This is your daughter."

Draco gaped at the baby for a moment before Hermione held up the small bundle for him to take. "I already told her that she was going to have the greatest daddy she could ever have."

Draco tucked his face into the child, and he let out a quiet sob. "Merlin, Hermione," he said with a crack to his voice. "I can't believe it! I just—" He hugged the baby to him. " _Thank you_ ," he whispered. "You're an amazing, generous witch."

Hermione wiped the wetness from her eyes, her insides melted as she watched the man introduce himself to his daughter.

"Hello, my little girl. I'm your daddy." He chuckled when the baby moved a random finger. "Yeah, and the first thing I'm going to teach you is how to fly!"

Hermione was home alone, having to rest a few weeks before she could go back to work. She sat on the sofa, staring at the telly, not even paying a bit of attention to it. She was crying. She was currently experiencing the baby blues, and it was making her feel extremely guilty and bad for giving up her baby.

She was having doubts, she was having regrets. Deep down, Hermione knew these feelings weren't real. It was just because her hormones were trying to get a grip of normalcy after the pregnancy, but it didn't ease her mind at all.

"I was told you ignored your doorbell?" Ginny stood above her with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't even hear it ring."

"Do you need a couple potions, sweety? You look dreadful."

"It's not that serious," Hermione assured her.

"Draco wants to speak with you."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "He doesn't want the baby, does he? What's wrong with her?"

" _Relax_ ," Ginny said softly. "There's nothing wrong with Fornae, she's a beautiful, growing baby."

"Why does he want to talk then?"

Ginny shrugged. "Sounds like a question you should direct at him."

"You named her after the furnace constellation?" Hermione questioned Draco, eyeing over the curly-haired baby that was nestled into the crook on his arm.

Draco chuckled. "I thought it was fitting, given her Gryffindor ancestry. She'll be a blazing fire, I wager. There hasn't been a Gryffindor child in this Manor for several generations."

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I'd like you to be her godmother, and before you reject the idea, I really feel it's only right that she grows up knowing who brought her into this world. You don't have to do any parenting whatsoever, and you can come and go as much as you can, but I want you in her life."

The air got heavy, and Hermione had to inhale a deep breath, emotionally taken back with his offer. Her eyes fell down to the baby, and she could see a resemblance of her deceased father in the tiny face.

Draco walked to her and motioned for her to take Fornae. "Her second name is Rose after your mother," he informed her. "I hope you're not offended—"

Hermione hugged the man, shuddering with a sob. Her parents had been gone for four years now, having died in a plane crash, but she still missed them dearly. "Thank you, Draco," she said under a shaky breath.

"I assume that means you accept my offer?" 

"Yes," she said, laughing, taking the beautiful baby into her arms. "Hello, Fornae Rose Malfoy, I'm your godmother, and I'll make sure you study hard."

  
  



End file.
